Better the Devil You Know
by Realmlife
Summary: A possible new portal but then something happens, something that has Dungeon Master worried. The Young Ones must deal with a new wizard bent on revenge after they interfered with his plans, one with deadly intentions. Will they make it to the portal in time and how will Venger react to someone challenging his position in the Realm. Sometimes it really is Better The Devil You Know.
1. Chapter 1 - The Fruit of Deneia

**Better the Devil You Know**

**Chapter 1 – The Fruit of Deneia**

Sheila was leaning against a tree with her eyes closed marvelling, not for the first time, at how quickly everything had returned to normal; or at least what passed as normal in the Realm. While all was peaceful now, it had only been a few short hours ago when they had been fighting for their lives.

She was excused from the evening chores, as it was her turn for second watch that night, so she had nothing to distract her from mentally reviewing the day's events. It had all started when Dungeon Master had appeared that morning and Sheila began replaying the scene in her head.

-X-

"_Greetings, my pupils."_

"_Dungeon Master!" Bobby exclaimed._

_The Thief smiled indulgently at her brother's reaction, the only one of their group who still showed any surprise at his sudden appearances, and joined the Barbarian and her friends at the wizard's side. Dungeon Master waited for them to approach before continuing._

"_I bring you news of a possible way home."_

"_Oh right, and what do we have to do this time?" the Cavalier sneered. "Save a village, fight a dragon, rescue a princess?"_

_The Cavalier had been in a terrible mood all morning, not helped by the fact he had been up three hours earlier than everyone else and it was becoming annoying._

"_Eric!" Sheila snapped, glaring at him and earning her surprised looks from all of her friends._

_She was normally the most tolerant of the group but she had had enough. Eric's persistent moaning and complaining had hit a nerve and she had run out of patience but she soon blushed when she realised everyone was staring at her._

"_Nothing so challenging," Dungeon Master stated, ignoring Eric's rudeness and the Thief's embarrassment. "You must seek out the Guardian of Deneia. He has knowledge of many things and may be willing to tell you where to find the Kellia portal."_

"_Don't you know where the Kellia portal is?" Diana queried._

_Dungeon Master smiled at the Acrobat._

"_There are many things I do not know, the Kellia portal's exact whereabouts being one of them," he replied._

_Eric opened his mouth, no doubt about to utter another scathing comment but seemed to think better of it and closed it again when Sheila shot him the 'don't mess with me' look that was normally reserved for her brother. She had still not forgiven him for making her lose her temper._

"_So where do we find this Guardian?" Hank asked._

"_He lives in the . . ."_

_He stopped abruptly and stood almost motionless, his vivid blue eyes glazed over and he appeared troubled. The Thief stared at him, as did everyone else, not sure what to do by his unexpected pause._

"_Dungeon Master, is everything OK?" Sheila asked, moving forward and kneeling beside him. _

"_Something has changed, the balance has shifted," he murmured, his voice so low that the Thief could barely hear him._

_Then, just as suddenly, he seemed to recover as he then continued._

"_The wood druid is the Guardian of the fruit from the Uccello Calce tree and lives in the Deneia Forest," he stated, pointing towards some trees that looked to be no more than an hours walk from their current location._

"_And now, forgive me my children, I am needed elsewhere," he added._

_At that he was gone; no getting them to momentarily look away, no walking behind a convenient rock, he just vanished as they watched._

_It was a few seconds before any of them spoke and Sheila guessed that they were all equally surprised by Dungeons Master's unusual behaviour and the way he had suddenly disappeared. It was Presto who finally broke the silence._

"_What was that all about?" he asked._

"_Not sure," Hank replied. "It was odd though."_

"_The old man's losing it," Eric commented._

_They all ignored him and continued as though the Cavalier had not spoken._

"_Something must have happened to upset him," Presto stated._

"_I think something distracted him rather than upset him," Sheila commented._

"_Whatever it was, it's the first time he hasn't answered our questions with a riddle," Diana pointed out._

"_Yeah, I noticed that too," Hank replied. "And I agree with Sheila, something distracted him. I just hope it wasn't anything to do with this druid we need to find."_

_No one responded to this remark. Sheila thought that Dungeon Master would have said something if whatever had bothered him was linked to the wood druid, but at the same time she couldn't shake the feeling that there might be a link. She had spent enough time in the Realm to know that nothing happened without a reason and that seemingly random events had a nasty habit of being connected._

"_Come on, we should get moving," Hank stated._

_There was a murmur of agreement and they began walking towards the Deneia Forest._

-X-

The Thief sighed sadly and toyed with something that resembled a miniature coconut hanging around her neck. It wasn't much to look at but the juice within would give the drinker unimaginable power, which was the reason the druid had given it to Sheila. He had asked her to take the fruit back to her home world, a place where its magical properties would be useless and where the wizard seeking it would never find it.

It had been his last request. Shortly after placing it in her hand he had breathed his last and his body had crumbled to dust and drift away in the gentle breeze.

Sheila remembered the way he had thanked them for his freedom; thanked them for destroying the tree that had been his mission in life to guard but had ultimately been his prison. He had welcomed death with a joyful expression on his face and she smiled wistfully as she thought about their brief encounter.

Finding the wood druid had been easy enough. In fact, he would have been very difficult to miss given the circumstances. Before they had even set foot inside the Deneia Forest they had heard the commotion and had raced towards it, weapons ready. The druid had been under attack from a wizard they had never seen before, although Sheila had at first glance mistaken him for Venger with his similar clothes and immense height.

While obviously attempting to defend himself the wood druid was losing the fight and she'd watched in horror as he was sent flying backwards several meters from a blast of energy to his chest. Hank, Diana and Bobby had jumped straight into the battle while she, along with Eric and Presto had rushed towards the figure lying on the ground.

The Thief had reached the druid first and knelt at his side and found him, much to her surprise, dazed but otherwise unhurt. She'd then looked up and watched the Ranger firing a multitude of arrows at the attacking wizard but he'd blocked them easily and had still managing to retaliate. More than once she had been glad of the protection from the Cavalier's shield as he had stood over her, Presto, the druid and a cowering Uni.

It was at that point that the wood druid had told her they needed to destroy the Uccello Calce tree. She had then pulled up her hood and rushed over to Hank to pass on the message. He had yelled for Bobby to smash his club onto the ground and used the distraction to aim at the tree.

One arrow was all it took and the tree had glowed brightly before shattering, sending a ray of light straight at the mystery wizard. However, while she and Hank had managed to stay standing from the shock wave caused by the Barbarian's club, the explosion knocked them both off their feet.

Hank had immediately sat up and called out to make sure she had not been hurt, unable to see exactly where she had landed due to her hood still being in place. She had not had a chance to answer as when she'd looked up she had seen the unknown wizard aiming a final shot straight at the Ranger. Diving at him, she had pushed him flat and had narrowly missed being hit herself, but the resulting hole beside them was evidence enough of how close it had been for the two of them.

And then it had been over. They had the fruit of Deneia, the aggressive wizard seeking it had believe it gone forever, cursing them for its destruction as he had vanished, and the druid had been freed from his lifelong service. However, before his death the wood druid had been able to give them the information they needed regarding the location of the Kellia portal which they hoped to reach within a day or two.

"About time," Eric shouted, snapping Sheila's attention back to the present.

She looked up to see Hank had just returned to the camp with the Barbarian and Uni and they were handing over their fish to Diana and Presto, the nominated cooks for the evening. From the grin on her brothers face, Sheila knew he had caught something but guessed that the Ranger was responsible for the majority of their catch. Bobby did not have the patience to sit still long enough to make a good fisherman.

She moved her gaze from the Barbarian to Hank and he smiled, holding up one finger and confirming her suspicion regarding who had been the more successful of the two. Having handed the last of the fish to the Magician, Hank headed towards the Thief and flopped down beside her.

"You were looking very serious," he remarked.

"I was thinking about the druid," she revealed with a sigh.

She leaned towards him and he reached up to stoke the side of her face.

"Ugh, you stink," she commented, moving back with a jerk.

"Thanks!" he replied, sounding a little surprised but did not appear offended.

"Sorry," she said with a laugh, "but you have just been cleaning fish."

"It's not that bad," he claimed as he sniffed his hand and wrinkled his nose.

"Maybe not," she alleged, insincerely. "I guess it depends on whether you plan on sleeping anywhere near me or not tonight?"

"You wouldn't?" Hank challenged, raising his eyebrows.

Sheila laughed again. The two of them had been a couple for a number of months which meant they now spent their nights lying side by side and more often than not curled up together; something Sheila was not willing to give up, even for one night.

"No I wouldn't, I'd miss you too much," she admitted. "But I would prefer it if you washed."

"For you, anything," he replied, getting to his feet.

Sheila giggled and stood up herself.

"I should probably get cleaned up for dinner myself," she stated.

Hank looked at her and grinned.

"Hey, don't get any ideas," she retorted.

"What kind of ideas?" Hank asked with fake innocence.

The Thief smiled and looped her arm through his.

"Come on, let's go," she said, "or we'll only be gone five minutes before the others come looking for us."

The Ranger didn't need any more prompting and they quickly disappeared together, heading for the river where Hank had been fishing a short while earlier.

-X-


	2. Chapter 2 - Observe and Report

**Better the Devil You Know**

**Chapter 2 – Observe and Report**

The river was only a few minutes walk from their camp and Hank scrubbed his hands in the water while pondering everything that had happened that morning. While most of the things that had occurred were, by Realm standards, fairly routine, there were a few points bothering him.

Surprisingly, the wood druid's death was not one of them. At least it did not worry him as much as he'd expected, despite it being his arrow that had destroyed his life tree. Hank could only guess it was because the druid had looked so relieved and happy in his last few minutes, knowing his life of servitude was ending.

However, there was Dungeon Master's unexpected behaviour midway through imparting information about the Kellia portal to consider. Hank hadn't really had a chance to think about it at the time but something must have happened to make Dungeon Master lose concentration.

The Ranger could only hope that it was not anything as serious, or dangerous, as what had happened the only other time he could remember Dungeon Master failing to speak in riddles, when Eric had opened the Box of Bailfire. His only solace was the fact that their guide had left so soon afterwards, which might mean it was not something they should be concerned about.

As much as he wanted that to be true, he had his doubts, but for now he pushed them to the back of his mind and he found himself thinking about the wizard they had encountered. They had met countless individuals while searching for a way home over the last few years, thankfully more friends than foes, but there was something about this particular wizard that bothered the Ranger.

Given his apparent willingness to do anything to get his hands on the fruit of Deneia meant the man was clearly dangerous, but it had been more than just that. Over time they had become quite efficient in dealing with hostile adversaries and, with the notable exception of Venger, there were now very few who gave them too much trouble.

Hank's arrows had had little impact on him and it had only been a lucky break that had enabled them to defeat him. This man had been powerful, very powerful, and Hank wondered who he was, where he had come from, and also how long it would be before they saw him again.

He raised his head to look at Sheila who was leaning lazily against a tree. She was smiling but Hank could see from the look in her eyes that something was still troubling her and assumed she was thinking about the wood druid. He checked his hands and, satisfied that they were now clean, stood up and strolled over to the Thief.

Her smile widened as he approached and he smiled too.

"Better?" he asked, holding his hands up for inspection.

The Thief grabbed one of his wrists and gently pulled it towards her. She kissed his fingers and then breathed in deeply, her eyes fixed on his the whole time.

"Much better," she whispered.

"Glad you approve," he replied, slipping his free hand around her waist.

Sheila released his wrist and suddenly wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. Hank responded in kind, recognising her need, and pulling her gently towards him.

"The druid?" he asked.

"Yes and no," she replied with a sigh.

The Ranger waited, knowing she would continue without him needing to prompt her.

"I mean, I'm sad that he died, but I'm not at the same time," she stated. "Oh, that sounds like I'm glad that he died!"

"No, I know what you mean," Hank cut in. "It's difficult to feel sad because he was so happy."

"Yeah, that's it," she agreed.

Hank smiled but he got the impression that it wasn't just the fate of the druid playing on her mind.

"It's not just that worrying you is it?"

The Thief raised her head to look at him.

"I was thinking about the wizard who attacked him," she informed him after a short pause.

"I've just been thinking about him too," he admitted. "I was wondering who he is."

"Me too," she answered. "When I first saw him I thought it was Venger, crazy right?"

"Not really," Hank replied. "I can understand why you would think that. I mean; angry wizard, seven foot something and dressed in red, grey and black robes."

"Yeah, but no wings, no one horned helmet," Sheila commented.

"No," the Ranger agreed.

"And his face was nothing like Venger's with that disgusting wrinkled yellow skin and those horrible, cold black eyes," the Thief added with a shudder.

"But there were definitely some similarities," Hank pointed out, pulling her closer to him to reassure her. "I was wondering if he might be connected to Venger somehow."

"You mean working for him?" the Thief asked.

"Maybe", Hank replied. "But I don't think it's that simple."

"Then what?" Sheila asked.

"I'm not sure," Hank admitted.

"You don't think they could be working together do you?" she asked, sounding slightly alarmed.

"I don't think so," the Ranger answered. "Venger doesn't strike me as the type who would want someone with so much power working for him. He only seems to work with people he thinks he can control or intimidate."

"I get the feeling Venger wouldn't be able to control this guy," the Thief remarked.

"No, I don't think he could," Hank agreed, "but he's gone now and with any luck we won't see him again anytime soon."

"I hope not," Sheila said softly. "I don't think I'll ever forget the sound of his rasping voice before he vanished."

Hank silently agreed with her. The unknown wizard had issued a chilling threat as he had disappeared; swearing revenge on the Ranger for defeating him and Hank had an uneasy feeling about it. However, he could see Sheila was worrying about what had happened and knowing there was nothing more they could do for the moment in solving the mystery he decided a change of subject was required.

"We do have something else that could become a serious problem," he commented.

"What's that?" the Thief asked, raising her head from where it had been resting on his shoulder to look at him anxiously.

"This morning was a long time ago," he began, allowing the smallest twitch of a smile to show on his face so Sheila would see there was no real cause for alarm.

"Yes?" she replied, her expression changing from one of concern to curiosity.

"Well, I haven't kissed you since then," he stated. "I'm in danger of suffering from some acute withdrawal symptoms if we don't repeat the action again soon."

"Oh, that does sound very serious," Sheila replied, the sparkle in her eyes showing that she liked the direction that things were going. "I guess we should do something about it quickly, before it's too late."

"I agree," he murmured as he leant forward and briefly brushed his lips against hers.

"I don't think that will be enough to keep the symptoms away," Sheila retorted playfully.

The Ranger immediately responded by repeating the action but was not so quick to break the contact this time and it was several seconds before he pulled away. The Thief sighed happily and opened her eyes to look at him.

Hank stood staring intently at her for a moment, content to look at her face and loose himself in her enticing green eyes. He raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek.

"I love you," she whispered, her eyes sparkling, showing the depth of her emotion.

His heart was pounding in his chest and he marvelled in the knowledge that her feelings for him mirrored his own for her. He smiled and barely had time to reply, telling her he loved her too, before her lips were on his.

Hank could tell from both the way Sheila had wrapped her arms around him and from the intensity of the kiss that she had no intention of letting it end as quickly as the first two. Agreeing with her whole-heartedly on this, he kissed her back eagerly. Almost immediately he felt her tongue brush against his and he responded in kind, letting their tongues move together in a most enjoyable dance.

She tasted irresistibly good and his hand crept slowly up her back to caress her neck, knowing how much she liked it when he touched her there. He was rewarded with the sound of a soft moan of approval and he pressed himself even closer to her, wanting to make sure that it was not from just words alone that she knew how much he loved her.

Suddenly the Thief surprised him by pulling away from him with a gasp and moving her head to one side.

"Sheila, are you OK?" he asked, concerned she might have thought he was moving too fast, despite this not being the first time their kisses had become intense in a very short space of time.

"I… Yeah. I… I just had this odd feeling of being watched," she replied as she turned back to look at him.

Hank automatically looked towards the rocks that Sheila had been watching.

"It was probably nothing," Sheila continued. "I must be getting paranoid after being here for so long."

The Ranger turned back towards her. "You're not paranoid," he assured her. "You can never be too careful in this place. We should get back to the others."

"I guess so," she agreed, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Come on," he said, offering her his hand. "You can always wake me a little early for my watch," he added with a smile.

"If you insist," she replied, taking his hand and grinning.

"I do insist," he informed her playfully.

She laughed and hand in hand the pair retraced their steps to rejoin their friends.

-X-

The sound of Hank and Sheila's laughter faded away until the only noise to be heard was the splashing of the water in the fast flowing river. For several minutes nothing stirred and then a dark shadow moved of its own accord from behind the rocks.

Shadow Demon had not made any movement that would have alerted the Ranger or the Thief to his whereabouts and yet the girl had detected him, or at least sensed his presence. He found that intriguing but knew it was unlikely he would ever discover how she had been capable of feeling his nearness.

Undoubtedly his master would be able to explain it but asking him would mean informing Venger of how close to detection he had been, something he had no intention of doing. Shadow Demon quickly dismissed the thought and instead focused on what he had just learnt and, more importantly, on how he believed Venger would react to each bit of information.

Physical contact was beyond his comprehension. Only the most potent magic was able to make any impact on his shadowy form, something he had discovered the hard way at Venger's hand. As such, he had no knowledge of human attraction and no particular inclination to want to learn more about it.

Although he had been able to realise that their behaviour towards one another had been affectionate he had needed their words to fully understand what he was seeing. Fortunately for him, he had been close enough to hear their whispered conversation and so now knew the Ranger was in the love with the Thief.

While he attached no real importance to this fact he still planned on reporting it to his master. Omitting seemingly insignificant details in the past had been one of the numerous occasions where he had experienced exactly how much pain a powerful wizard could inflict on a supposedly insubstantial body. And then there was the other news, something far more interesting, important, and dangerous.

Shadow Demon had recognised the mysterious attacker from the Thief's description and was well aware that the revelation of this particular wizard's return to the Realm would certainly be of interest to Venger. The question he was now asking himself was what Venger would do to his informant in the unavoidable fit of rage that would follow the announcement.

However, he could not postpone the inevitable and the punishment for delay would be far worse than anything Venger would deal out in reaction to unpleasant news. He would just have to make sure he positioned himself carefully when he made his report and, with this in mind, he left the riverbank in search of his master.

-X-


	3. Chapter 3 - Under Attack

**Better the Devil You Know**

**Chapter 3 – Under Attack**

Shadow Demon hovered uncertainly outside Venger's private rooms and listened carefully at the door. He could hear nothing but knew his master was inside, which was the reason behind his hesitation. He had still not decided on the best way to impart his information but was well aware that he could not delay any longer.

Steeling himself for the unavoidable he drifted through the door and instantly spotted his master sitting with his back to the door in a large ornate chair. Rather than waiting for Venger to demand his report he began immediately, choosing the lesser revelation to allow himself chance to gauge the wizard's mood.

"Master, I bring news of the Young Ones. The Ranger is in love with the Thief."

He waited for a response but Venger did not speak and Shadow Demon began to feel uneasy as the silence continued.

"Master?"

Still nothing. No sound, no movement, not a single sign of acknowledgement. He cautiously moved further into the room and circled the wizard. Venger's eyes were closed and his face was uncharacteristically relaxed, his expression almost peaceful.

"Master?" he repeated.

Shadow Demon suddenly found himself staring into a pair of red eyes that blinked slowly before narrowing into a stony glare. He backed away hastily as Venger rose but not quickly enough and he emitted a piercing scream as Venger struck, forcing him into a solid form and leaving him writhing in agony.

"How dare you disturb me," Venger bellowed, hitting Shadow Demon again with an equally powerful blast.

Unable to answer and almost blinded by the pain Shadow Demon somehow managed to make his way to the door and make his escape before a third attack.

Once outside the fortress he did not move for several minutes as he assessed the damage. Every particle of his being hurt and the effort of returning to his usual, intangible, form before the effects of Venger's magic had dissipated had taken its toll.

He could not understand what had just happened. While no stranger to pain, in all the time he had served Venger he had never experience anything so intense and he had no idea what could have caused such a violent reaction. The information he had revealed had, at best, been trivial, so he could only assume that Venger had already learned of the more important news, the return to the Realm of his one time adversary.

However, for the first time in many years he had feared more than just physically suffering, he had feared the end of his existence. There had been no doubt in his mind that had he not got out when he did then Venger would have destroyed him.

He owed no debt of loyalty to Venger and with the burning after effects of the attack still very much apparent, he considered his situation. His options were limited but he did have a choice.

With the decision made Shadow Demon drifted away, the cool morning air passing through him easing his pain as he headed for his new destination.

-X-

Venger watched the demon as he raced for the door, narrowly avoided his last blast as he zoomed through it. He knew that he would have killed him had the shot hit home and he was not sure if he was relieved to have missed or not.

Shadow Demon had happened upon him at a most inopportune moment and no servant should be allowed to live after seeing him is such a state of weakness. Then again he did have his uses; much of the information Venger had learnt about Dungeon Master's pupils had come as a direct result of his spying.

Reflecting back on the look of shock and terror in the creature's eyes as the first energy ray had enveloped him Venger concluded that perhaps he had not actually realised what he had seen. After all, it was not something that had happened in the last millennia.

Shadow Demon was not the problem here, he was. Something was wrong, very wrong. He had sat down after dispatching Shadow Demon to find the Young Ones and the next moment he had opened his eyes to find himself staring into the shadowy face of his servant.

How could it have happened? He had never felt the need since the pact had been made, the power given to him by his master meant it was completely unnecessary, and yet he had succumbed. He, Venger, all-powerful wizard had fallen asleep!

Being woken by Shadow Demon returning to make his report had startled him but it had only taken a second or two for him to react. Acting instinctively, he had attacked; wanting to be alone while he tried to work out what could have changed that would even make it possible for him to sleep.

Venger knew what he needed to do but he also knew there would be a price to pay. He reached out with his mind, tentatively testing the connection with his master and quickly pulling back when he began to sense the evil consciousness.

He sat down and braced himself for the inevitable. Although knowing it would be fruitless, he also attempted to shield himself from the mental torture, punishment for his intrusion, which would begin at any moment.

Nothing happened.

Hardly daring to believe it to be true, despite the evidence to the contrary, he relaxed a little and waited. Still nothing, which meant he had his answer, or at least partly.

The connection between him and his master had been weakened but he had no idea how or why; nor whether it was just a temporary matter or something more permanent. He considered the possibility that perhaps Dungeon Master's troublesome pupils had somehow stumbled upon something that could explain it but that would be extremely unlikely.

Ironically, the servant he had just dismissed so unceremoniously may well have had information that would shed light on the problem. He would now have to wait until the creature dared to return and get him to repeat it without letting Shadow Demon realise he had in fact heard nothing of the first report. Venger could then decide what to do next but for now he would have to be patient and for once he knew exactly what he planned to do while he waited.

-X-

They had only been walking a short while, no more than an hour, before the windy path had begun climbing steeply as they approached the mountain. Hank was leading the group with the Barbarian at his side and Eric has soon fallen behind and the Magician had obviously been glad of the excuse to slow his own pace and keep him company. That left her and Sheila walking somewhere in the middle.

Diana would have preferred to move faster but for now she was content to keep pace with the Thief and had enjoyed the chance to chat with her friend. She had wanted to discuss yesterday's events, keen to know what Sheila had made of it all.

The Acrobat was glad to find that Sheila had not taken the druid's death too hard and had not been surprised to discover she had been anxious about the threat made against the Ranger. However, while understanding why Sheila would think that the wizard was connected to Venger she did not entirely agree, not that she had a better theory.

Diana had at first considered the possibility of a connection, for the same reasons, but there was something wrong with that idea. It wasn't just that Venger was not a partner kind of guy, although that was part of it, but it had been the numerous similarities that actually made her think they were not working together.

They had worn similar outfits, were both well over seven feet tall and they both seemed to want, or need, to get their hands on objects to add to their already extremely powerful magic. In Venger's case it was their weapons and in this new wizard's case it had been the fruit of Deneia.

If their weapons were so appealing to Venger, then why had this other wizard not tried to take them? And conversely, why had Venger not been looking for the fruit? Both interesting questions which she had no answer for. There was then the frightening thought that if she was wrong, and Venger and the unknown wizard were working together, then they didn't stand a chance.

"I thought the druid said there was a tunnel," Sheila gasped.

"I'm sure we'll find it soon," Diana replied, glad of the distraction.

"I hope so," the Thief commented, breathlessly.

"You sound tired," the Acrobat stated with a grin.

"We have been climbing for a while," Sheila countered.

"You should get more sleep," Diana teased.

The Thief coloured, letting Diana know she had guessed correctly. The Acrobat had noticed Hank and Sheila would often curl up together to go to sleep and so she had naturally assumed they would make the most of their time alone while everyone else was asleep on the one night in five when their watches were back to back.

Diana laughed and opted to leave it there.

"Race you to the top," she said, dashing away.

"No way," Sheila called after her.

The Acrobat has not expected the Thief to race, even though they were now very close to the top, but she continued running until she reached the summit of the slope just before Hank and Bobby. She was rewarded with the sight of a cave a short distance ahead that marked the entrance to the tunnel they were seeking.

"Hey guys," she called, turning back to the other three still climbing. "We're…LOOK OUT!"

They all looked in the direction indicated to see the same wizard they had encountered yesterday swooping towards them. He had no visible steed and his hand was already raised and the first energy blast was sent hurtling towards them. She saw the Thief dive to one side with seconds to spare before launching herself into action.

The wizard had already taken aim for a second blast and Diana threw her javelin to successfully deflect it. Hank had joined in too, golden arrows flying upwards, one after another, but the wizard seemed unfazed, blocking them with one hand and continuing his attack with the other.

It was only after the fifth blast that Diana realised they had all been aimed at the same person. The Thief had so far dodged them but on the sixth her friend slipped and as the seventh came heading straight for her Diana could do nothing to help, too far away to reach her, even with the aid of her javelin.

"Sheila!" she screamed.

From nowhere the Cavalier appeared and the shot bounced harmlessly off his shield. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to the Ranger in time to see the look on his face. He had obviously seen what had nearly happened, and he had been terrified, but now his expression was one of anger, directed at their attacker.

He fired arrow after arrow but Diana could see it was not achieving anything. She had ceased her own efforts, seeing they made no impact and the Barbarian also had nothing he could do to help. Eric was slowly making his way towards them with Presto and Sheila on either side of him, all three of them needing the protection of his shield.

"Hank, we have to get out of here," she yelled.

The Ranger either did not hear, or chose not to, as he continued firing with the same relentless pace.

"Hank!" Diana pushed. "We have to go."

The Ranger scowled but she noticed him glancing around to assess the situation.

The Cavalier, Magician, and Thief had just reached the top and Hank's frown relaxed when he saw that Sheila was beside him. However, the group being reunited now meant they were all in immediate danger of feeling the full effects of the wizard's power, the next shot being proof of that fact as it re-bounded of Eric's shield and nearly hit her instead.

By jumping aside to avoid it she collided with Hank, forcing him to take several quick steps to adjust his balance. While unintentional, it did have the desired result of Hank acknowledging the need for them to move.

"Run for the cave," he ordered.

"Good idea," Eric sneered as yet another blast crashed off his shield.

Bobby and Uni began running and, as Diana expected, the wizard showed no interest in them as he continuing to rain down energy bolts on Sheila, Eric and Presto.

"Eric, move!" Hank snapped.

"Kinda difficult right now," the Cavalier retorted, the strain of the ongoing assault beginning to show.

"Get Sheila and Presto out of here. Now!" Hank yelled, as he continued his counter attack.

"Sheila, your cloak," Diana hissed. "Disappear after the next blast and then run for it. You too Presto."

The Thief nodded and a few seconds later she flicked her hood up and vanished. At the same time Eric momentarily allowed his force field to fade, allowing the Magician and presumably Sheila to leave his side.

The Acrobat turned her attention back to their attacker, intending to provide whatever cover she could for her friends. However, for the first time since his appearance the wizard ceased firing as he searched for his target.

"Hank, time to go," she hissed.

The Ranger turned his head and appeared to notice for the first time that the others had gone.

"Where's Sheila?"

"Safer than we are," she replied, pulling his arm. "Now move."

The two of them raced towards the cave and they had already caught up with Eric and Presto before energy bolts suddenly began raining down on them once more; the difference this time being they did not appear to be aimed at anyone in particular. As they continued to run Diana noticed that the shots were wide, as though the wizard was trying to scare them, until she realised that he may be hoping to land a luck shot on the invisible Thief.

Bobby was already inside the cave when the Acrobat reached it with Hank, Eric, and Presto just behind her.

"Sheila?" Hank immediately called out.

"I'm here," the Thief whispered as she re-materialised beside him.

The look of relief on his face was plain to see but he immediately focused his attention back on their current predicament, the aggressive wizard now trying to blast them out.

"Bobby, close it," Hank called.

The Barbarian looks pleased to finally have something to do as he raised his club and brought it down with a crash. The others all automatically backed away as the rocks came tumbling down, sealing them inside.

For a few seconds they were in complete darkness before a soft glow appeared and Diana could see enough from its illumination to realise Presto was already working on a solution.

"Give me something to light our way; torches with batteries, right away."

Diana was sure the rhyming wasn't necessary, but the Magician had been specific enough to get exactly what he wanted as three powerful torches appeared. He handed one to Hank, a second to the Acrobat and kept one for himself.

"What now?" Eric asked.

"We use the tunnel," Presto answered, shining his light on a passage at the back of the cave.

"Right," the Ranger agreed, and then paused at the noise.

The wizard was obviously trying to break through the rock barrier to reach them.

"Before he breaks through," he added, unnecessarily.

Hank grabbed Sheila's hand and led the way. Diana quickly followed with Bobby and Uni beside her, leaving Eric and Presto to once again bring up the rear.

-X-


	4. Chapter 4 – From Bad to Worse

**Better the Devil You Know**

**Chapter 4 – From Bad to Worse**

The tunnel was not nearly as difficult to navigate as they had first thought, especially with the aid of the torches Presto had conjured up. There had been a number of twists and turns, so they had not always known for certain which direction they were going, but after about two hours it had come to an end and they had exited the darkness at the other side of the large mountain.

It had been exactly as the druid had described, an open, grassy plain with a pair of smaller mountains visible on the other side. They were all pleased to be back outside again but it did have the drawback of meaning they would be easy to spot as they continued their journey. However, there was no other way to reach the portal so they set off immediately.

Presto found the fast pace set by Hank a bit of a challenge but he understood the reason for it. Although group discussion while in the tunnel had been limited, due mostly to the passageway being fairly narrow, they had all agreed that Sheila had clearly been the wizard's primary target.

After about half an hour walking the Magician and Cavalier began to lag behind and Presto was beginning to think he would need to say something when the Thief intervened; or at least he assumed she had. He had seen her look back in their direction before saying something to Hank and a few seconds later they stopped, allowing them to catch up.

"Time for a break," the Ranger stated as the two of them drew level.

Eric scowled but Presto smiled and spoke quickly, before the Cavalier could say anything that might start an argument.

"Do you want me to try and conjure up some lunch?" he asked breathlessly.

"Good idea," Hank replied but looking a little startled, as though he had not even considered they would need to eat.

"OK, here goes," Presto stated and, after a few seconds pause while he thought of a suitable rhyme, waved his hand over his hat. "We need a rest and something to eat, so lots of pizza as a treat."

For the second time in a row the hat seemed to be behaving itself and he was delighted when it produced two very large steaming hot pizzas. Eric instantly grabbed a slice then sank to the ground and had already taken three or four bites before the rest of them moved. They quickly joined him and a few minutes later they were all sitting in a circle munching pizza.

To begin with they were all quiet but as the food vanished, the conversation increased and they were soon discussing the attack that morning.

"I still don't get _why_ he was only aiming at Sheila?" Diana commented.

"I think it's because of this," the Thief replied, holding out the fruit of Deneia.

"But he thinks it was destroyed," Eric pointed out. "Or did I just imagine that _you will pay for destroying the fruit_ speech from yesterday?"

Sheila visibly paled at being reminded about the wizard's threat the day before.

"We remember," Hank snapped, slipping his arm around her shoulders.

"I don't think the fruit is the reason," Presto said, in what he hoped was a matter of fact tone. "Say he somehow did know Sheila had it. Why would he target her? And why didn't he demand we give it to him?"

There was a pause following his questions and the Magician felt uncomfortable with everyone looking at him.

"I mean…" he began, hating the silence but having no idea of what he was going to say next.

"No, you're right, Presto," the Acrobat cut in. "If he knew Sheila had the fruit she would the last person he would aim at."

"Then why did he aim for me?" the Thief asked miserably.

The Ranger turned his head to look her, unable to answer, and pulled her gently towards him.

"Maybe he just decided at random," the Cavalier suggested.

"Yeah, he'll probably go for someone else next time he shows up," Diana added.

"Even so, I think someone else should carry the fruit of Deneia," Hank stated. "I'll have it."

"No," Sheila replied, giving him a watery smile. "I'll keep it. I think Presto's right; it's not about the fruit."

"Sheila…" Hank started.

"I'll be OK," she assured him. "Besides, if it is about the fruit then we need to stop the wizard from getting it and I'm the one with the cloak."

"OK," he agreed. "But if he does show up again you're to use it and disappear before he can do anything."

She nodded.

"Right, we should get going," Hank said, standing up before helping Sheila to her feet.

There were no arguments to this suggestion and within minutes they started walking.

Presto was glad to be moving again. He would feel far more comfortable when they had crossed the plain. It was too exposed here. The wizard would eventually realise they must have found another way out of the cave and once he did they would be easy to spot from the air.

The Ranger was walking quickly, but not as fast as when they had first left the tunnel, so Presto and Eric were able to keep up with ease. However, despite walking closely together, they did not speak much and a few hours went by with only a few words being said.

-X-

As time passed, the group spread out a little. Hank and Sheila were up front by at least ten metres, with Bobby and Uni being the closest to them. Eric and Presto were once again lagging behind but Diana had joined them, having left the Barbarian chatting happily to the little unicorn, the occasional meah being the only reply he seemed need.

The Magician looked up and was surprised to see how far they had come. The tall mountain was now some distance away and the two smaller mountains, the Twins, were very close, no more than twenty minutes walk.

He turned to the Acrobat to make comment. "We're … Oh no, not now."

"What?" Diana queried as she turned towards him.

"He's back," the Magician yelled, pointing at the wizard zooming down on them.

There was a loud bang and a scream as a beam of red light hit the ground between Hank and Sheila. The Ranger had pushed Sheila to one side seconds before it hit but Presto saw it graze her arm as she fell. A moment later Sheila had vanished, somehow managing to twist around and pull up her hood while she lay on the ground.

"Scatter!" Hank yelled as he ran towards the wizard to begin his counter attack.

Unfortunately, the wizard obviously still intended to make Sheila his target and it looked like he had expected the Thief to disappear as he immediately drew a circle around the spot she had fallen, creating a fiery ring to separate her from the others.

"Sheila," Diana called out.

But it was too late, the Thief would not have had time to scramble to her feet and escape before the circle closed. They all ran towards the circle but Hank, being the closest, reached it first with the others not far behind him.

"Sheila, are you OK?" Hank shouted frantically.

"Yes, I'm fine," she called back.

"Not for long," the wizard rasped, sending a multitude of blasts into the circle in quick succession.

"Sheila?" the Ranger cried, as the firing stopped.

"I'm OK," she murmured, her voice only just loud enough for them to hear.

"Stay cloaked," Hank whispered back. "We'll keep him busy."

The Ranger turned his attention back to the wizard and began firing arrows in retaliation but he blocked them with ease while continuing his own assault on the circle.

"You should not have destroyed the tree," the wizard spat. "Now you must pay the price."

"What do you want?" the Ranger demanded.

"You destroyed my fruit, so I shall destroy her," he laughed, sending more blasts into the circle.

"Stay away from her," Hank yelled, a look of panic flitting across his face.

Presto suddenly spotted a dark figure behind the wizard. "Shadow Demon? What's he doing here?" he wondered allowed.

"Shadow Demon!" Hank repeated.

The Magician tried to read the Ranger's expression, a mixture of shock and comprehension being his best guess. Whatever it was, Shadow Demon's sudden appearance distracted Hank enough for him to temporarily stop firing as he stood for several seconds with an arrow poised and ready before finally letting it fly.

A scream from inside the circle as another series of shots landed made them all spin around to see Sheila lying, visible, just inside the perimeter.

"Sheila!" Hank and Bobby cried in unison.

The sound of cold, cruel laughter sounded from overhead.

"You get to watch her die," the wizard sneered as he raised his hand high above his head.

"Like hell we do," Eric yelled.

The Cavalier leapt forward, his shield already glowing, and ran straight though the barrier before skidding to a halt as he reached the stricken Thief. He threw himself over her and the next blast hit the force field with a bang.

The wizard cried out in rage and began firing repeatedly at Eric and Sheila as the others watched on helplessly. Presto could see the despair on Hank's face and frantically tried to think of something they could do; anything to end the attack and send the wizard packing.

An idea came to him and he whipped the hat off his head, knowing he had to get this right. "We need some help without delay, so create a wormhole to send this guy away."

It was a few seconds before Hank, Diana and Bobby even realised he had done anything, but then the wind started.

"Get down!" Diana yelled, and the four of them, plus Uni, threw themselves on the ground.

The wizard screamed and the Magician raised his head in time to see him and Shadow Demon disappeared into the swirling vortex. The hole then closed behind them. The battle was over.

As they climbed to their feet Eric emerged from the fire circle with Sheila beside him. She looked dirty and scared but otherwise intact and after smiling reassuringly at her brother she immediately moved towards Hank.

The Ranger embraced her but to Presto's surprise he then stepped away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It's my fault. I'm the reason he attacked you."

"It's not your fault," she replied.

"He found out how I feel about you," Hank countered. "Last night, by the river, Shadow Demon must have heard us."

"It doesn't matter," the Thief insisted.

"I won't put you in danger," Hank stated. "You aren't safe with me."

"What are you saying?" Sheila asked shakily.

Presto glanced at Diana and Eric, feeling incredibly uncomfortable with what he was hearing and could see they looked equally ill at ease.

"Sheila, I … We can't be together," Hank said. "I'm sorry. It's for the best."

He turned away from her.

"We have a portal to find," he added, his voice cracking slightly.

He started walking but the Thief stood staring after him, looking completely stunned as a single tear ran down her cheek. She wasn't the only one to remain motionless and it was a minute or two before any of them moved.

"Come on, let's go," Diana urged, finally stepping forward and steering Sheila in the right direction.

Bobby and Uni followed closely behind and once again Presto found himself bringing up the rear with Eric, his head spinning, completely shocked by what had just happened. The fight with the wizard, the sudden ending and now this; Hank breaking up with Sheila.

-X-


	5. Chapter 5 - An Unlikely Counsellor

**Better the Devil You Know**

**Chapter 5 – An Unlikely Counsellor **

To say the atmosphere was strained would be an understatement and for once he was not the reason behind it. Finding out that Sheila was being targeted to get revenge on Hank had been a shock but Eric had been even more surprised by the Ranger's reaction. While he would have expected him to be upset, breaking up with her to protect her was, in his opinion, a complete overreaction.

They had reached the Twin Mountains not long after the latest attack and the road had soon narrowed as it wound its way between them. When the path split they had taken the left fork, as the druid had instructed, and had now climbed a considerable way up towards the summit.

The winding path had narrowed further, forcing them to walk in single file, and in places it had crumbled away entirely leaving gaps from which the valley floor could be seen far below when they jumped across. Eric was beyond exhausted but Hank was still walking well ahead of the group, striding purposely along and gave no sign of slowing down to rest, but with the light failing the Cavalier knew they would have to stop soon.

He saw Presto leap over that next gap, the largest so far, followed by the Barbarian, Uni and then Diana. Sheila was several steps behind the Acrobat but Eric was just behind her. He watched her getting nearer to the hole, expecting her to jump at any moment and suddenly realised that she was not going to.

Her gait had not changed and she was about to step off the edge when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back, twisting as he did so that he could use the mountainside as support.

"What do you think you were doing?" he hissed angrily.

"I…," she began, looking at him blankly, her eyes glistening with tears.

He could see immediately that she had been crying and must not have seen the danger.

"You nearly fell," he told her, no longer angry, at least not at her.

She paled as she looked where he indicated, the hole in the path.

"I… I… Thanks," she whispered.

"It's all right," he replied, "Just be careful, OK?"

She nodded and they set off, clearing the gap and following their friends, who did not seem to have noticed anything odd had occurred.

Some time later the path became more stable. There were no more gaps and it became wider so Eric was now walking in silence beside the Thief. He wanted to say something but he had never been good at this kind of thing. Smart comments, yes, but comforting words to a distraught friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend was beyond him. Diana or Presto would be much better at this he was sure, but he had another reason for staying near Sheila.

Eric had a feeling the wizard would be back and if Hank really believed that breaking up with the Thief would mean she would suddenly stop being the target then he was an idiot. It wasn't like the guy was going to ask if they were still together before attacking and he had already proved that being cloaked would not be enough to keep him from being able to hurt her. His shield on the other hand had so far withstood the attacks and so he had decided he should stick as close to Sheila as possible.

He had of course kept this to himself, knowing the others would comment if he told them. It had not been so long ago that he would have deliberately chosen to be as far as possible from anyone likely to be the focal point of an attack rather than acting as their personal bodyguard.

"Eric," Sheila said softly.

He turned to her, a little surprised at hearing her speak after such a prolonged silence. With the exception of the two or three words she had murmured when he had stopped her from falling she had said nothing since Hank had told her they couldn't be together.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He stopped moving and looked at her in confusion, not sure what she was thanking him for, the close call with the hole in the path having been at least an hour ago. She must have noticed his puzzled look as she explained, albeit hesitantly.

"For walking with me and … and not trying to get me to talk."

"Oh, I … That's OK," he replied, feeling slightly guilty at allowing her to think his silence had been planned.

He gave her a watery smile and she returned it, but he could see the sadness in her eyes. She looked tired too, both physically and emotionally, and he stood watching her for a moment, wishing he could think of something he could do or say that would help. It was only when she lowered her gaze and began examining her feet that he realised things were getting uncomfortable.

"We should get moving," Eric stammered. "Catch up with the others and see when we plan on stopping for the night."

"Yeah," Sheila mumbled. "We should."

She briefly glanced at him before turning away to continue walking and Eric fell into step beside her. They rounded the corner and found Diana, Presto, Bobby, and Uni waiting for them in a small clearing, the first of two such areas they could expect to find on the mountain according to the druid's description.

The next such area should contain the Kellia portal, but it would be at least another two hours before they reached it and Eric was sure that he would not be able to walk that far tonight. His whole body ached and after Sheila's near miss earlier he also thought it was too dark for them to continue safely.

"We think we should stay here tonight," the Acrobat informed them.

"Good idea," Eric replied warily, glad to see they had obviously reached a similar conclusion.

Sheila simply nodded her agreement before wandering over to her brother who appeared to be at the point of collapse and insisting he sit down to rest. The Barbarian needed no persuasion and quickly slid to the ground, leaning on his sister for support, his eyes barely open.

Presto followed the siblings lead and sat down too then started working on getting some blankets from his hat. The Cavalier sank down beside him with a groan and began rubbing his aching legs.

"How about some supper?" he asked his friend.

"I'll try," the Magician replied, throwing the patchwork quilt he had just conjured towards Sheila.

"Thanks, Presto," the Thief whispered, catching it and wrapping it around Bobby.

"OK, now for something to eat," the Magician declared.

"Diana, where's Hank?" Sheila queried tentatively, looking at the only member of the group still standing.

Eric's head snapped up in surprise, amazed that he had somehow failed to notice the Ranger was absent.

"Yes, where is Hank?" he echoed.

"He carried on walking," the Acrobat admitted awkwardly. "I thought he would have realised we'd stopped by now. I'll go and get him."

She sprinted off in pursuit of the Ranger leaving the four of them sitting together in the increasing darkness. Eric turned towards Presto and they looked at each another uncertainly.

"Supper!" Presto mumbled after a brief pause.

He picked up his hat from across his knee and sat staring at it, presumably trying to think of an appropriate rhyme. Eric resisted the temptation to poke fun and after a minute or two he glanced at Sheila instead. She immediately looked away and focused her attention on Bobby, moving the boy gently until he lay on the ground.

The Cavalier had known Bobby was tired, the fact he had made no protest about being wrapped in a decidedly pink and flowery cover being proof of that, but he was still surprised to see he had actually fallen asleep in such a short space of time. He continued watching Sheila, wondering what she was thinking, but she refused to meet his eye and sat silently watching the sleeping Barbarian.

"Um, cocoa anyone?" Presto asked as he placed a large pot full of the steaming chocolaty liquid on the ground.

"I thought you were working on getting us some food," the Cavalier retorted.

"I'm trying," the Magician stated, sounding flustered.

"I'll have some," Sheila said softly, startling Eric as she had moved without him hearing her.

Presto looked both pleased and relieved as he handed her a mug. Eric saw a flicker of a smile flash on Sheila's face as she took it but it was only a second or two before her expression become sorrowful once more and she sat down quietly beside them.

"Forget it, Presto," the Cavalier whispered as he heard his friend cursing the hat under his breath. "I've kinda lost my appetite."

"What? Oh, right," the Magician replied, shooting a quick glance at Sheila.

Eric frowned, not liking to see the normally cheerful Thief looking so miserable and dispirited. Being attacked twice in one day was bad enough, something he knew from personal experience, but then Hank had gone and made it a whole lot worse for her.

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted Eric to Diana returning with the missing Ranger. He turned to see them approaching and immediately noticed the gap between them, the Acrobat being ahead of Hank who seemed far from happy as he lagged behind with his head down.

As he drew nearer he looked up but his gaze passed over Eric and Presto to rest on the Thief who was sat with her eyes downcast, staring blankly at the drink in her hand. Sheila suddenly looked up herself, as though feeling the Ranger's presence, and sent hot cocoa splashing everywhere as she dropped her mug with a startled cry.

"Sheila!" Hank exclaimed dashing forwards a few steps and then stopping abruptly.

"I'm fine," Sheila said quickly, a deep blush across her face showing her discomfort.

"Are you sure?" Diana asked, kneeling down beside the Thief. "You didn't get scalded?"

"No, I'm OK," Sheila confirmed.

She picked up the mug shakily and got to her feet.

"Do you want some more?" the Magician asked.

"No thanks," she replied, handing him the mug. "I'm tired, I'm just gonna get some sleep."

Eric watched as she wandered off and lay down a few meters away then turned to look at Hank to see what he would do. To his annoyance the Ranger walked off in the opposite direction and settled down some distance away from the group. The Cavalier glared at him but Hank did not appear to notice as he sat with his head in his hands staring at the ground.

He only turned back to Diana and Presto when the Acrobat nudged his arm as she squeezed herself between them.

"What are we going to do about them?" Presto asked.

"I don't know," Diana replied with a sigh.

"They can't go on like this," Eric remarked.

"No," Presto agreed.

"Well, we can't do anything about it tonight," the Acrobat stared. "Let's get some sleep and see what we can come up with in the morning."

Diana and Presto then lay down while Eric removed some of his armour and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders as he tried to get more comfortable for his share of the night watch. His two friends fell asleep quickly and after such a long day he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep himself but knew he had to wait two and a half hours before waking Presto.

He was just thinking how quiet it was when he heard a noise. It wasn't very loud and he looked around trying to figure out what it was when he heard it again and realised it had come from Sheila. He watched her carefully and even in the dim light he could see her shaking slightly and he suddenly knew what the sound was; the Thief was crying and he had almost not even noticed.

_OK, this has gone on long enough_ he decided. He stood up and strode over to the Ranger who was still sitting with his head in his hands, determined to get him to see sense.

"When are you going to stop this?" Eric demanded.

"Go away, Eric, I'm not in the mood." Hank snapped.

"Tough, 'cause I'm not going anywhere," he informed him.

The Ranger raised his head and glared at him.

"What do you want, Eric?"

"I want you to go over there," he stated, pointing at the Thief, "and sort things out."

"It's not that simple," Hank alleged.

"Yes it is," the Cavalier insisted.

"He targeted her because of me," Hank replied.

"And breaking up with her will make it right?" Eric asked. "I can see it now; big bad wizard shows up, all ready to fire and then thinks, _wait, I'll just check they're still together before blasting her to kingdom come._"

"That's not funny, Eric," the Ranger snapped.

"It's not meant to be," Eric stated.

"She's not safe with me," Hank spat.

"None of us are safe here," the Cavalier pointed out.

"It's for the best," Hank declared.

"Like hell it is," Eric argued. "She's had the day from hell and instead of comforting her you go and abandon her."

"I haven't abandoned her," Hank said.

"Really?"

"Drop it, Eric," Hank snarled.

Eric stared at the scowling Ranger, annoyed that he seemed unable to see how stupid he was being and how blind he was to the fact that the Thief needed him.

"This is just like the Cloud Bears all over again," the Cavalier muttered in frustration.

Hank was on his feet in less than a second, his face inches away from Eric's.

"This is nothing like that," the Ranger hissed.

Eric, not expecting such an intense reaction automatically took a step back. A voice in his head screamed at him to back down and go back to the others or get himself punched in the mouth but he ignored it, his anger at how the Ranger was behaving pushed him on regardless.

"It is from where I'm standing," Eric stated.

"This is completely different," Hank said, stepping forwards and re-closing the gap between them.

"No it's not," the Cavalier said. "Evil wizard blackmails you into doing something stupid and Sheila ends up in tears. What's the difference?"

"I had no …" Hank began angrily and then stopped abruptly before adding in a whisper. "Sheila's crying?"

"Of course she is." Eric replied. "Some nut job tried to kill her, twice; and then her boyfriend breaks up with her."

Hank looked at him in silence for a moment and then sighed.

"The wizard knows how much she means to me," he stated. "I can't let her get hurt."

"But you are hurting her," the Cavalier challenged automatically, and then cursed inwardly as he realised he had spoken without thinking.

He met the Ranger's eye, expecting to see him glaring back angrily but instead found him frowning thoughtfully.

"I am, aren't I," Hank replied sadly. "I… Seeing her lying there and not being able to do anything. If it hadn't been for you she'd be … I panicked."

The conversation had taken an unexpected turn and Eric looked at Hank as he finally understood. The normally level headed and rational Ranger had let his emotions get the better of him and in his desperation he'd somehow thought distancing himself from Sheila would protect her.

"I … I don't know what to do," Hank admitted.

"Quit all of this _you're better off without me_ nonsense and go to her." Eric suggested.

"She'll never forgive me," Hank muttered.

"She will," Eric declared. "You know she will."

"I…" Hank began.

"Go!" Eric insisted.

Hank didn't need telling again and nodded at the Cavalier before heading towards Sheila.

Eric watched as he knelt down beside the Thief and helped her to sit up. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he saw Hank brush his hand against her face, presumably wiping away her tears, before she leaned into his embrace. The Cavalier continued to watch them for a moment before turning away when they kissed.

He smiled to himself, pleased with his efforts as an unlikely counsellor and genuinely happy to see the two of them back together. Sneaking a quick look back towards them he noticed they had lay down and after a few minutes he move back to the group and sat amongst them, on the alert for any sign of trouble while his friends slept.

-X-

Venger lay staring at the ceiling feeling more relaxed than he had felt for a very long time. The dim light seeping through the window was enough to tell him that it was early morning, meaning a full day had passed since he had sealed himself inside the large room at the top of the tower where he had been able to sleep without the risk of being discovered.

As he continued to lie there he began thinking about the link with his master. Despite feeling more refreshed he could not think of anything that would explain it. As far as Venger was aware, only the Nameless One himself could have any influence on their connection and he knew of no reason why his master would have decided to change things after all this time.

He was still able to reach his master, as he had proved yesterday, yet to do such a thing without invitation was almost unforgivable and to receive no punishment at all should have been impossible. The more he thought about it the more puzzling it became and he knew that he would somehow have to get more information, without the Nameless One's knowledge, if he was to solve the mystery.

He suddenly felt a presence in the room and practically jumped to his feet to welcome his unexpected _guest_.

"Why are you here?" Venger demanded.

"You do not know?" the intruder replied calmly as he stepped out from behind a large statue in the corner.

"I do not seek your counsel, old man."

"And yet I am here," Dungeon Master affirmed, smiling serenely.

"As I can see," Venger replied irritably.

"The connection is broken," the small wizard stated.

"I am aware of that," Venger snapped, not entirely truthfully.

He had not missed the older man's choice of the word broken rather than weakened and he found it intriguing.

"So you are aware of his return," Dungeon Master alleged.

Venger stared at his one time mentor. Obviously he was not referring to the Nameless One, he was far too calm for that, but that only left one other option.

"It is not possible," he claimed. "You were there. You said yourself that he could never return."

"It seems I was mistaken," Dungeon Master admitted.

"Where is he?"

"He seeks to destroy that which you seek to possess," the small wizard declared.

"They cannot be destroyed," Venger argued.

"True, the weapons cannot be destroyed," Dungeon Master agreed.

Venger snarled as he understood Dungeon Master's point; the weapons were indestructible but their owners were not. Admittedly, he had often contemplated killing those accursed children himself but his desire for the full power of their weapons had always held him back.

As with all objects originating from the graveyard they had imprinted themselves onto their first owners, in this case the Young Ones, and although they would still be effective for anyone else who used them in the future they were at their most powerful only while their original owners lived. No doubt that was the reason why Dungeon Master had chosen those particular items when they had arrived in the Realm, a very effective way of ensuring that he had a personal interest in keeping them alive.

"He must be sent back," Venger declared.

"I agree," Dungeon Master stated.

"You know where to find him?" Venger asked.

"Right now I expect he is heading for the Twin Mountains," Dungeon Master informed him.

"How convenient," Venger replied, turning towards the window to look at the peaks in question, which were indeed conveniently close to their currently location. "I take it you have a plan?"

"Of course," Dungeon Master confirmed.

"And what exactly do…"

He broke off upon feeling the air change, telling him that Dungeon Master had left.

_How dare he presume I will assist him_, he raged to himself, not that he even considered the alternative. Venger planned on doing everything he could to rid the Realm of this new threat. He remembered Okus only too well; a ruthless, powerful and unforgiving wizard whose only purpose seemed to be the spread of misery and despair. If left unchecked he would devastate the Realm; killing as many of its inhabitants as possible without mercy or reason, intent, not on ruling, but on total annihilation.

The capture of Okus the first time had been many years ago. Venger himself had been a young man, still undergoing training when he faced the wizard and successfully trapped him inside a Capirikiouit. However, the battle had not been without consequence.

That Okus served the Nameless One had never been in doubt. Dungeon Master had wanted to confront Okus himself and had warned Venger that he was not ready, a warning that Venger had not heeded. He had set out alone, determined to prove himself and, from his apparent victory, he believed that he had done so.

It was not until later, after the pact had been made that he had realised exactly what Dungeon Master had been concerned about. He had felt power unlike anything he had ever experienced before, lots of power, and he wanted it. He wanted to be that strong and set about finding out what he needed to do to achieve such a goal.

As it turned out he had already done what was needed. The Nameless One had sought him out a short time later, offered him what he craved and the agreement had been made. Venger had defeated Okus, so now he would replace him, serve his new master and conquer the Realm.

He had been doing well, had enslaved a number of people, corrupted or destroyed as necessary, slowly turning everything to his advantage, only Tiamat offering a true threat to his domination, and then disaster. Six children from another world had appeared and undone nearly everything he had spent centuries achieving. And now Okus had been freed from a supposedly inescapable prison.

However, pondering on how the wizard had escaped would have to wait for now. He summoned his Nightmare and set off as fast as the beast could travel towards the Twin Mountains, trusting Dungeon Master for the first time since Okus had been imprisoned and pushing aside thoughts of exactly what this could mean for him.

-X-


	6. Chapter 6 - Unexpected Help

**Better the Devil You Know**

**Chapter 6 – Unexpected Help**

Sheila's eyes flickered open briefly and she quickly closed them again, deciding against getting up for now. She was quite content, curled up with Hank, her head on his shoulder and it was only just beginning to get light so it was likely everyone else, except Diana, would still be asleep.

"You're awake, aren't you?" the Ranger whispered as her gently brushed her hair from her face.

"No," she mumbled, but opened her eyes and smiled at him.

Hank laughed and kissed her forehead. "Time to get up," he said softly.

"Don't want to," she moaned playfully. "I'm comfortable."

"Me too," he replied, "but the quicker we get going the quicker we'll find the portal and get out of here."

"I guess so," Sheila agreed, but she was still in no hurry to move.

"Hank, that wizard's going to be back, isn't he?" she asked, tilting her head towards him.

"That's the main reason I think we should get moving soon," he admitted. "With any luck we'll be back home before he shows up."

"I hope so," the Thief murmured, smiling weakly and trying to sound less scared than she felt.

The Ranger looked at her for a moment, staring straight into her eyes, the concern he felt for her being clear to see. He then closed the small gap between them and kissed her tenderly.

"Keep close to Eric today," he requested as he pulled away.

"Eric?" Sheila queried in surprise.

"Yes, Eric," the Ranger confirmed. "He's done a pretty good job of protecting you so far and I trust him to keep doing so."

The Thief smiled at him, admiring his honesty in recognising that the Cavalier with his shield was the best person in the group to keep her safe, especially knowing how much he must hate having to delegate the task of keeping her safe to someone else.

"I love you," she whispered, lowering her head and kissing him softly.

Hank responded eagerly, wrapping one arm tightly around her while moving his other hand to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair so that she couldn't break away. She happily let him to take control, pressing herself closer to him and relaxed, allowing all her fears to momentarily melt away.

"Oi, you two, knock it off," the Cavalier suddenly called out.

The couple immediately sprang apart, both of them a little red in the face.

"Eric!" the Acrobat scolded. "Leave them alone."

"I'm just saying," Eric replied. "There are little kids present you know," he added, glancing at Bobby.

"Who you calling little?" the Barbarian snapped.

"Meah, mho mou mammim mimm-mul," Uni bleated.

"You've done it now," Presto remarked.

"All right, enough," Hank ordered, he and Sheila having both got to their feet during this exchange. "As everyone's awake I suggest we get going."

"What about breakfast?" Bobby asked.

"We can eat on the way," Hank stated. "I don't want us hanging around now it's light."

"Good idea," Eric agreed, much to Sheila's surprise.

The Cavalier was usually the first to complain about early starts, especially given Hank's questionable definition of light with only one sun peaking over the horizon, and yet here he was agreeing with the Ranger's suggestion. She watched the two of them and noticed a brief look of understanding that passed between them which made her all the more curious. She shot a questioning look at the Ranger who smiled warmly at her.

"It was Eric who talked some sense into me last night," he whispered. "He knows how much you mean to me," he added, taking her hand in his.

The Thief blushed at his words and tightened her grip on his hand. He smiled at her and then turned his attention back to the group.

"Come on gang, let's get moving," he stated. "Stick with Eric," he added in a low voice to Sheila, squeezing her hand gently before releasing it and setting off, leading the group further up the mountain.

-X-

Sheila guessed they had been walking for about two hours and for most of that time the path had only just been wide enough for them to walk single file, making conversation difficult. That hadn't stopped Diana from briefly asking Sheila about her and Hank, to which the Thief had laughingly replied that she must have a red caped fairy godmother.

Very little else had been said but Sheila had done as the Ranger had requested and ensured she had either been just ahead or directly behind Eric all morning. She was also grateful, and presumably so was everyone else, that Hank had set a steadier pace today; by no means leisurely, but certainly not as challenging as the day before.

As the path turned it suddenly widened, allowing them to stand together as a group for the first time since setting out at sunrise.

"Do you think this is the last clearing the druid mentioned?" Presto asked hopefully.

"From the looks of that, I'd say yes," the Acrobat replied, grinning and pointing at a shimmery distortion about ten meters above them.

"It's the portal," Bobby yelled excitedly.

"How do we reach it?" Sheila wondered allowed.

"Follow the path," Hank informed her, taking her hand and leading the way.

They rounded the first corner and Sheila suddenly ran into something solid. She looked up to see a yellow-faced figure in black, grey, and red robes towering over her and screamed. She tried to back away and could feel Hank pulling on her arm but the wizard was too quick and had a large hand around her throat in seconds.

"Let her go," the Ranger demanded, clawing at the cold, clammy fingers.

The wizard just laughed, a cruel, blood-chilling sound, before sending Hank flying backwards with a blast of energy from his free hand. Sheila gave a strangled cry and heard Diana call out too but the Ranger landed on the path and had not been sent crashing down the mountainside, as she had feared. He scrambled to his feet and ran back towards Sheila but the Thief suddenly felt herself leaving the ground and automatically grabbed the arm of the wizard as they floated upwards.

"Sheila," Hank yelled desperately, from somewhere below her.

The Thief was frantically attempting to pry the abnormally long fingers from her neck while kicking out wildly and trying to ignore the almost overpowering stench of decay emanating from him.

"I'll let you go soon enough," he hissed, twisting her round, allowing her a brief glimpse of the twenty-meter drop beneath them.

She ceased wriggling and once again grasped the wizard's arm as he spun her back round to face him.

"Master, the fruit," Shadow Demon hissed.

The creature had appeared from nowhere and was pointing at the object around Sheila's neck, which had come un-tucked from her dress during her struggle. The wizard's eyes gleamed as he reached out and grabbed it, painfully snapping the long string around her neck as he did so.

"It is mine," he rasped. "All mine."

The Thief gasped and tried to snatch the Fruit of Deneia back from him but knew it was impossible. He held it above him, gazing at it almost reverently before squeezing it tightly and cracking it open to release the liquid inside.

A small amount splashed Sheila's face. She licked her lips instinctively and tasted the unpleasant, bitter juice. The wizard however, did not seem to mind the taste as he drank greedily, apparently relishing every last drop before discarding the empty shell with a triumphant roar.

The Thief vaguely wondered what her friends would be doing right now, knowing that there was very little they could do but hoping beyond hope that they would think of some way to save her. And then she noticed the wizard was changing.

His pale yellow skin was slowly darkening and the wrinkles were disappearing, as though someone was stretching his face. At the same time she realised the hand holding her was getting larger and his arm had grown longer. In fact his whole body had increased in size and she guessed he would probably now stand at least ten feet high if he stood on the ground.

As the changes slowed the wizard laughed, a deeper sound than before but still cold and terrifying.

"Time for you to rejoin your little friends," he sneered, his voice, like his laugh, now much deeper.

He grinned maliciously and released his grip on Sheila and sent what felt like electricity running through his arm, forcing her to let go at the same moment.

Everything seemed to slow down. She could hear screaming from somewhere far away, a number of different voices, and someone was calling her name. She was falling and knew that when she stopped, that would be it.

_It's not the fall that kills you, it's the landing._ Who had said that? It was an old saying but someone had said it recently: Eric maybe, or Presto, or had it been Diana? What did it matter now? If only she didn't have to land then it would be OK, she wouldn't die. But that was preposterous. She couldn't just stop, even though she desperately wanted to, so she closed her eyes and waited.

It would be any second now, any moment and she would hit the ground, any moment now. Now. Now? She could hear voices again. They seemed clearer now and then she heard Hank softly calling her name.

"Sheila?"

She opened her eyes and found the Ranger kneeling at her side, Bobby and her friends just behind him, a look of astonishment on all of their faces.

"Hank," she whispered. "I'm not dead?"

"No," the Ranger murmured. "How?"

"How?" Sheila repeated, not sure what he meant.

"Sheila, you're floating," Diana pointed out.

"What!" the Thief exclaimed.

She was currently hovering just above the ground but then landed with a slight bump when she realised the Acrobat was correct and that there had been nothing holding her up. She sat up and looking around bewilderedly.

"How did you do that?" Bobby asked.

"I… I don't know," the Thief replied.

"It doesn't matter," Hank said shakily, pulling her into a tight hug. "All that matters is that you're OK."

"But for how long?" Eric queried.

Hank broke away and they all looked at where the Cavalier was pointing.

"How long indeed," the wizard mocked from his vantage point above them.

He fired at the ground beside Eric, knocking the Cavalier off his feet. Sheila's eyes widened in terror as he then raised his other hand and she saw the light pulsing from it. Hank dived over her and she found herself looking into his eyes as the blast that would kill them both drew nearer.

"No, they are mine, Okus," a voice bellowed as the shot was deflecting to one side.

"Venger, how nice of you to save me the trouble of hunting you down," Okus roared.

"It is I who am doing the hunting," Venger snarled.

"You will not defeat me again," Okus declared, firing at Venger and forcing him to drive his Nightmare upwards.

"Are you all right?" Hank asked Sheila, helping her to her feet.

"I think so," she replied and then shoved him back to avoid a stray shot from the quickly intensifying battle above them.

"How about we make a run for the portal while those two are occupied," Diana suggested.

"Good idea," Hank agreed.

The group quickly ran up the path but found the way to the Kellia portal blocked by the two wizards. Sheila watched as first Venger and then his opponent fired, the gap between shots decreasing until it became an indistinguishable blur of light.

"Who's winning?" Presto asked.

"Can't tell," Eric replied.

At that moment there was a yell and Venger crashed to the ground and his Nightmare fled, racing off and leaving its master behind, its tail looking badly singed.

"Correction, I'd say that guy," Eric added, pointing at Okus.

Venger did not have time to recover before Okus began bombarding him, each blast obviously inflicting immense pain if his expression was anything to go by. Sheila watched, horrified, hardly able to believe that anyone, even Venger, could still be alive, let alone moving, as the assault continued.

Suddenly the attack stopped and Okus landed beside the prone wizard, towering over him, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"I have waited a long time for this Venger," the taller wizard shrieked, raising his hands, preparing to take the final shot.

The Thief had no idea how, but somehow Venger managed to find the strength to block the attack and created a barrier between them and sent the shot back at Okus. However, she doubted he would be able to do it a second time as immediately after doing so his head fell back and he lay on the ground completely motionless.

"Hank?" Sheila said shakily, clutching the Ranger's arm, worried about what would happen when Okus struck again.

"Eric, cover Venger," Hank ordered. "Sheila, Presto, see what you can do to help."

"You're kidding, right?" the Cavalier challenged.

"Do it," the Ranger snapped. "Diana, Bobby, with me."

Sheila automatically did as Hank asked and ran over to Venger with Eric and Presto. It was only when she had knelt beside the wizard that she realised what she was doing.

She had no idea what she could possibly do to help Venger. He appeared to be unconscious and she could not even be sure if he was still breathing but was too afraid to move any closer to check. She looked at the Magician to find he appeared to be just as scared and the loud crash as the next blast of energy bounced off the Cavalier's shield reminded her of exactly how much danger they were all in.

Hank and Diana were trying to distract Okus and the ground shaking was enough to know Bobby was doing everything he could to help too. The Thief could see they were having some effect but it was not enough to stop a second shot hitting Eric's shield.

"How'd this guy get so big?" Eric hissed.

"The Fruit of Deneia," Sheila informed him.

"The Fruit of Deneia is a myth," Venger suddenly alleged, startling Sheila and making her jump back in fear.

She stared at him warily, wondering what he would do next.

Venger stared back for a moment before he spoke again. "You have seen the Fruit?"

The Thief nodded.

"And he drank the juice?" he asked.

Sheila nodded again.

"We have to reverse its effects," Venger stated.

Eric grunted as a third blast crashed into his shield and Sheila noticed Eric was having trouble keeping the force field in place, the strain from the three blasts having already forced him to use both hands to hold his shield above the four of them.

"How do we reverse the effects?" Presto asked.

"Burn the shell," Venger replied.

"Oh, that easy," Eric retorted. "Like he's just going to hand it over."

"He threw it away," Sheila whispered, almost to herself.

She pictured in her mind exactly where she had been when Okus has dropped the shell. He had been holding her over the clearing below the portal but he had thrown it over his shoulder so it should have landed somewhere close to where she was currently sitting.

"I'll find it," Sheila declared. "Eric, I need to get out."

At that moment the ground shook violently, due to the Barbarian and his club, which caused Eric to fall back and drop his shield. Sheila immediately pulled up her hood and ran off in search of the discarded shell and just hoped that Eric and Presto would be OK. Fortunately, Bobby's earthquake had also knocked Okus off his feet meaning the Cavalier had time to recover and have his force field back in place before being attacked again.

The Thief could see Hank, Diana and Bobby were struggling. The Acrobat had resorted to throwing stones and was using her javelin to keep on the move. She was also keeping an eye on the Barbarian as she suddenly landed beside him and shoved him to one side to avoid them both being hit. Hank was firing plenty of arrows but even though each one hit its target they seemed to be having no effect at all.

She knew they could not fight forever; the wizard showed no sign of tiring and it could only be matter of time before he struck a fatal blow. Their only hope depended on reversing the effects from the juice and even then they would need Venger's help to defeat him, their previous successes having been freak chance, and temporary.

Sheila clutched at her hood and began looking for the shell, determined to do whatever she could to help. She was behind Okus, so she was unlikely to get hit herself but she could still hear the battle behind her and cringed at every bang or shout. Getting down on her hands and knees, she crawled along, her eyes darting from side to side as she searched and when she next looked up she realised she was directly in front of the portal.

When she had first seen it from a distance it had not actually shown anything but a grey haze but now that she was this close to it she could see the lights and sounds of the amusement park. Even though she was cloaked the portal had done exactly as the druid had said and reacted to the needs of the first person to look straight into it and shown the place she most wanted to go.

She looked at it for a second or two before turning away with a pang of longing. And then there it was, just beside her hand, the two halves of the Fruit of Deneia shell, still held together by a few rough brown fibres. She grabbed it and raced back towards Eric, Presto, and Venger.

As she approached she saw an odd light coming from Presto's hat, a bluish green glow that completely surrounded Venger where he lay. Just as it began to fade Eric came under attack again, the wizard hitting his shield three times in quick succession. The third, prolonged, blast was proving too much for Eric and he cried out from the effort of keeping everyone safe as he was forced to his knees.

Hank and Diana, seeing what was happening, coordinated their counterattack on Okus. They both struck him on his right wrist at the same time, making him break off his assault seconds before the Cavalier collapsed.

"Eric!" Sheila called out, pulling back her hood and dashing to his side.

She helped him to sit and then looked up to see that the wizard was about to strike again and this time there would be no shield to save them.

-X-


	7. Chapter 7: Balance Restored?

**Better the Devil You Know**

**Chapter 7 – Balance Restored?**

The Thief could only watch in terror as Okus fired directly at her and Eric, unable to run, and the Cavalier unable to defend them.

"Sheila," Hank shouted, too far away to do anything.

"Okus!" Venger roared, blocking the attack as he got to his feet.

The larger wizard had obviously not expected any resistance and the shot rebounded, sending him flying backwards.

"Thief, the shell," Venger snapped.

Sheila placed it into his outstretched hand and jumped back with a scream as it immediately burst into flames.

A howl of pain came from overhead and Okus landed beside them. The Thief could see it had worked as he had shrunk back to his original size, but that still meant he towered over her.

"What have you done?" he rasped, glaring at the Thief.

He reached for her and once again Venger intervened, stepping forward and placing himself between Okus and Sheila.

"Get back," Venger ordered. "Okus is mine."

The three friends hastily retreated as Venger and Okus began fighting again. The Barbarian had spotted Uni hiding behind some rocks and Hank had quickly ushered everyone else to join the little unicorn as the spot offered good cover from the ongoing battle.

The Ranger slipped his arm around Sheila and she gladly leaned against him. Being that close to Venger, even when he appeared to on their side for once, had been frightening enough and that was before Okus had tried to kill her, again.

"What's that?" Bobby asked, pointing at something that had appeared in front of the portal.

"I don't know," Hank replied. "It wasn't there a minute ago."

"I wonder what's inside," Diana whispered.

The object in question was a small, multicoloured, cube that was spinning at an angle and it appeared to be getting bigger, increasing in size on each rotation. The yellow-faced wizard did not seem to have seen it but Sheila could tell that Venger had, as he was slowly and deliberately driving his opponent towards it.

The box suddenly stopped spinning and one side, the one facing them, disappeared to reveal its contents.

"It's empty!" the Barbarian exclaimed, sounding disappointed.

"That's a good thing," the Cavalier remarked.

Sheila had to agree with him. She had been worried that something nasty might have been inside, a weird three headed monster, a vicious dragon, or some other kind of evil creature wanting to destroy them.

"But then what's it for and where did it come from?" the Acrobat asked.

"I think Venger created it," Presto commented.

"I agree," the Ranger stated. "I think that box is a trap of some sort."

The two wizards were now directly in front of the cube and Okus, twisting to avoid a blast of energy, suddenly saw it for the first time and his reaction seemed to confirm their suspicions. His black eyes widened in horror and he began fighting back with renewed vigour, successfully striking Venger with three shots of his own.

"You will not imprison me again," he spat.

Until that point Venger seemed to have been winning with ease, but Okus was retaliating, blocking attacks and forcing Venger to be more defensive. However, it was short lived and Venger quickly regained the ground he had lost until Okus was once again directly in front of the box.

Venger aimed at the yellow-faced wizard and struck him with a particularly bright flash of light, which sent him flying backwards into the cube. Sheila barely had time to see him land in a heap before the missing wall reappeared, hiding Okus from view and sealing him securely inside.

It then began spinning; just had it had been doing when it had first appeared, slowly at first but getting faster and faster until its shape became indistinct. At the same time it got smaller and Sheila thought it was going to shrink into nothingness when it suddenly stopped moving and hovered, completely motionless, about a meter from the ground.

"It looks like a Rubik's Cube," the Magician remarked, which was a fairly accurate description given its size and colour.

"Never mind that," Eric snapped. "Something's happening to the portal."

The Cavalier was right, something had happened to the portal; the amusement park was gone and it now showed a vast, sandy desert instead. As they watched it faded out to be replaced by lush, green fields, which then also vanished and a wintery forest appeared in it place.

"But the druid said the portal could only show one location per day," Sheila stated.

"He might have been wrong," Diana suggested.

"I think it's the portal that's wrong," Presto claimed. "It's going too fast."

"What do you mean too …" the Cavalier began, stopping abruptly as he obviously saw for himself what Presto meant. "Whoa, that is weird," he added.

The portal was now flicking through images to different worlds at an incredible speed and Sheila found it impossible to see any of them clearly, the odd glimpse of trees, mountains, sky, all becoming an indistinct blur.

"The cube's moving again," Bobby cried.

"It's going though the portal," Diana exclaimed.

The cube had indeed begun moving again and Sheila saw it fly into the portal as it continued to show locations at a relentless pace. She then spotted Venger was backing away but before she had time to mention it to her friends the portal began buzzing and Eric suddenly pushed himself forward, his shield raised and ready.

He had reacted with impeccable timing, being in position as the portal exploded and the rocks they were hiding behind were blasted to pieces.

"It everyone all right?" Hank asked, to which they all either mumbled a reply or nodded to confirm they were unhurt.

"Damn it," Eric muttered, "another portal gone."

"Yeah, well at least we're all OK," the Acrobat added.

"What happened to Venger?" Presto queried.

"It looks like he's OK," Sheila replied, seeing the wizard standing with his back to them a short distance away.

As she watched he turned and began walking towards them and she automatically pressed herself closer to Hank, finding his closeness reassuring.

"Master," Shadow Demon hissed, conveniently reappearing now that the battle was over.

"Oh, back working for Venger again now are we?" Eric commented snidely at the creature.

"Explain," Venger demanded.

"I … err … I mean …" the Cavalier stammered.

"I think he's talking to Shadow Demon," Presto whispered.

"I serve only you, Master," the dark shape insisted.

"But he called Okus, Master," Sheila murmured.

She had deliberately spoken quietly so that only Hank should have heard her but Venger immediately turned his head and stared at her for a moment before looking back at his servant, his eyes glowering menacingly.

"You have betrayed me," he declared.

"No, Master, she lies," Shadow Demon claimed.

"Silence," Venger snapped, his voice dangerously low.

His hand glowed and Shadow Demon was enveloped in a red light.

"No, Master, please," the creature begged.

Venger ignored his cries and they quickly stopped as the light faded to reveal a clear glass bottle, which contained a dark cloudy substance. The wizard grasped the container by the neck and peered into it.

"I will deal with you later," he stated and suddenly the bottle had gone.

He then turned once again to look at the Young Ones and Sheila found herself looking fearfully into his glowing red eyes. She shuddered and Hank stepped forwards, putting himself between Venger and the Thief, his bow gripped tightly in his hand as Venger surveyed them.

"Ranger, Magician, Cavalier." Venger acknowledged, nodding almost imperceptibly at each in turn.

And then he too vanished, a swirling red and black cloud, shooting skywards. Sheila looked at Hank in amazement, having expected Venger to attack them, not just disappear.

"What was that about?" Eric asked.

"I think that was a thank you," Hank replied hesitantly.

"Indeed, Ranger."

"Dungeon Master!" Bobby cried, and they all turn to look at the small wizard who had appeared behind them.

"You mean Venger was really saying thanks?" Presto asked.

The wizard simply smiled in response, his eyes twinkling genially.

"Dungeon Master, Venger trapped Okus in some sort of box," Diana commented. "What was it exactly?"

"The cube you saw was a Capirikiouit," Dungeon Master informed them, "a prison from which he will not escape."

"So he won't be back?" Sheila queried, needing to hear the wizard confirm that she would be safe from more attacks.

"No, he will not be back," Dungeon Master assured her.

"Good riddance," Hank whispered, placing his arm protectively around the Thief.

She reached up and laced her fingers through his, relieved that Okus really was gone and always happy to be so close to the Ranger.

"There's something I want explained," Eric demanded.

They all looked at the Cavalier and Sheila half expected him to make some snarky comment but changed her mind upon seeing the serious expression on his face.

"I want to know how Sheila was thrown off a cliff and…" he began, but stopped abruptly when he saw her watching him.

"And lived?" she finished for him.

She smiled to let the Cavalier know that she was not upset with him. Despite how frightening it had been at the time, she was very curious to know the answer to that particular question herself and so turned her head back to look at Dungeon Master expectantly.

"The juice from the Fruit of Deneia is extremely powerful," the wizard stated.

"We know that," Eric replied. "We saw what it did to that guy."

Sheila barely even noticed Eric's retort as she stood staring at Dungeon Master while he smiled kindly at her.

"But I only drank a couple of drops," she murmured.

"You drank some of the juice?" Hank queried.

"By accident," she confirmed. "When Okus broke the shell some of the juice splashed my face."

"Wow, powerful seems an understatement," Diana stated. "Two drops and you can fly."

"Not fly," the Thief corrected. "I just … didn't hit the ground."

She remember the ridiculous idea of not wanting to land that had flitted through her head while she had been falling but could that one chance thought and a few drops of fruit juice really have saved her life?

"I wanted to stop falling," Sheila revealed. "And so I did?"

"Precisely," Dungeon Master confirmed.

"So Sheila has super powers?" Bobby asked excitedly.

"No," the Thief informed him.

"Venger destroyed the shell and reversed the effects so he could defeat Okus," Presto explained.

"Aw, it would have been cool if you could still fly," the Barbarian complained.

"I think I'd prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground for a while," Sheila told him.

"Good plan," Hank agreed, squeezing her fingers gently.

"Speaking of plans, with the Kellia portal gone what do we do now?" Diana asked.

"I have no other portal to tell you about," Dungeon Master informed them sadly, "but you would be welcomed in the town of Netay. The people are very hospitable and are always happy to make new friends."

"Netay it is then," the Ranger decided. "Come on guys, we have some walking to do."

"Great, more walking," Eric grumbled.

"You love it really," Diana claimed as she grinned and looped her arm through his.

"Not with all this armour," he complained.

"Like that makes any difference," the Acrobat quipped.

The Thief saw Dungeon Master smiling as he watched their cheerful banter and after a moments silence the group turned away to began their journey down the mountain and head for the town their guide had suggested. They had only gone a few steps when Sheila thought she heard Dungeon Master speak and so she stopped and turned her head, only to find he had disappeared.

"Sheila, is everything all right?" Hank asked.

"Yes, it's fine," she assured him and fell into step beside him.

The voice she had heard had been barely a whisper but she found it oddly comforting. Just two words; _balance restored_.

-X-

Venger held up the small bottle and studied its contents. The demon within was trapped so tightly that he could not even move and the wizard wondered what he should do with the creature. Shadow Demon had shown that he could not be trusted, so releasing him would be unwise, which meant for now he would have to remain where he was until a suitable punishment could be devised.

He set the container down and considered the details of his battle with Okus, well aware that it had not just been the Young Ones who had aided him. He had felt _his_ magic reaching out to him, as he had lain helpless on the ground, giving him the power he needed to defend himself.

The materialization of the Capirikiouit had then been further confirmation that Dungeon Master planned on taking an active role in ridding the Realm of such a dangerous wizard. While surprised at its appearance he had not hesitated and made use of it to imprison his adversary.

However, Okus had been trapped in a Capirikiouit before and the only means of escape was supposedly for someone with knowledge of both its exact location and its content to deliberately open it by choice. How could Dungeon Master be so sure that it would not happen again? Only he and his former mentor had known these precise details the first time and neither one of them would have freed him.

The only thing different this time was the Capirikiouit had been sent to a different world after it had been sealed. Another thing Dungeon Master must have been responsible for. It certainly had not been an accident that the portal had changed from showing the birth world of the Young Ones to flicking between locations, far too quickly for anyone to see, and ultimately causing it to self-destruct. This meant no one, not Venger, not even Dungeon Master himself, could know where the Capirikiouit had been sent. But why should that make any difference?

As Venger considered this he realised that there was one other person who would have known of the location of the original Capirikiouit, Okus. This in turn would mean the Nameless One would have been aware of exactly what had happened to his servant, just as he had the known of the countless times that he himself had been defeated, trapped, or banished.

But would his master have intervened? He had never done so before and yet it was the only remaining explanation. The Capirikiouit must have been opened from the outside. Dungeon Master obviously considered it possible and Venger reluctantly agreed with him. He just hoped that Okus been denied the crucial knowledge of his prisons whereabouts would mean he truly was trapped forever.

Venger now began pondering Dungeon Master's earlier visit where the older wizard had informed him that the link with the Nameless One was not just weakened, but broken. He had more than enough evidence to suggest that this was true and wondered exactly where this left him.

Was it something temporary or was it permanent? Had the wizard he replaced so long ago now replaced him in return? Was Okus' re-imprisonment going to change things again? Did he want things to change again? So many questions and no one to ask, no one to guide, no one to help answer the two questions troubling him the most.

_What do I do now? __Am I free?_

-X-

The End


End file.
